


Evolution Day

by Apharine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Evolution, Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Reader-Insert, Sparring, This is a reader-insert but y/n isn't used, for immersion purposes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24870592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apharine/pseuds/Apharine
Summary: You've taken on one of the Towers of Two Fists, defeated Master Mustard, and evolved your Kubfu at the Scroll.  But going from being a two foot tall teddy bear to a big Urshifu in a matter of moments is quite the adjustment, and Urshifu finds himself struggling with his new size and strength.  It's up to you as his Trainer to help him adjust - and to reassure him that everything is going to be okay.
Relationships: Wulaosu | Urshifu & Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 71





	Evolution Day

**Author's Note:**

> Welp I bought the DLC not really 100% sold on Kubfu at first but man, let me tell you, after beating the Dojo story line that little teddy bear and Urshifu are now literally my favorite Pokemon! Move over, Mareep, a tiny bear has stolen my heart.  
> I'm supposed to be writing a whole lot of other things, but why be responsible when you can write 7k words of fluff about your favorite Pokemon, right? Anyway I love the fact that we can let our Pokemon out of their balls on the Isle of Armor but after seeing my Urshifu stand by me, and thinking about how tiny Kubfu had been, I knew I had to write something about it. So here we are!

You had expected Kubfu to get bigger when he evolved - most Pokemon do, after all. But you hadn’t imagined that he would go from a two foot tall teddy to a six or seven foot tall beast of a bear. 

“Urshifu?” He asks, glancing down at his own big paws, then his large body. As if bewildered, he then looks over to you and Mustard, and starts when he realizes he’s towering over you. 

“Look at you, buddy!” You grin, moving towards your newly-evolved Pokemon. When he sees your enthusiasm, his expression changes from tentative to excited, too. “You got big and strong!” You pull him into a hug, and can’t help but feel a little surprised yourself when you find your head only comes up to his chest. 

“Urshi!” He exclaims back, embracing you in return. He hugs you with as much enthusiasm as he can muster, the same way he used to when he was a Kubfu - except now, he’s got muscles as big as your head, and you can’t breathe. In fact, you think he might just crack your ribs, he’s squeezing you so tightly. 

“Oh - Urshifu - too tight,” you manage to gasp, trying to squirm out of his grasp. He realizes what’s happening and lets go of you suddenly, making a concerned rumble as he holds his paws together nervously. “I’m okay, buddy. I just couldn’t breathe,” you laugh. But Urshifu drops his head sadly, sitting back on his haunches, making a sorry cooing sound. “Hey, c’mon now,” you say, approaching the big bear, who is increasingly huddling in on himself. He’s always been sensitive and shy - you’d learned that about him the first time Dojo Master Mustard had introduced you to him, and it’s honestly one of the things you’ve grown to love most about your newest partner Pokemon. “Hey, buddy, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” you coo at him gently. “You’re not used to your new strength yet, is all. I’m okay.” You set your hand on Urshifu’s big shoulder, and he looks up at you, making a tentative sound. You smile at him; you know the last thing he’d ever want is to hurt you. “I’d love another hug, you know. Just…a little gentler.” 

Urshifu unfolds himself from the ball he’s huddled into, standing up most of the way, though he stoops down to meet you this time. When you embrace him, you’re able to put your chin on his shoulder, and he folds his arms around you carefully. 

“Fu?” He asks nervously. 

“That’s much better,” you affirm, reaching up and ruffling the fur on the top of his head as you pull away, just as you had when he was a Kubfu. He squeals a little and, like always, smooths down the mussed fur with his paws, so much bigger now than they had been. You smile playfully up at him; so much about him has changed, you think, yet so much has stayed the same. 

“C’mon, buddy,” you say, reaching your hand up to him. When he had been a Kubfu, you’d had to stoop a little to walk hand in paw with him - but it’s apparent that that won’t be a problem anymore. “Let’s get back to the dojo, okay?” 

“Urshifu!” He agrees with a nod, folding his big paw carefully around your hand.  


* * *

  


To say that your fellow students at the dojo were impressed would be an understatement. 

“Wow! He’s evolved into an Urshifu!” 

“He looks really tough now!” 

“He’s so much bigger!” 

He’s bigger, yes, but he’s still your shy little teddy bear in a lot of ways, you think to yourself as you set a hand on one of his paws. He’s holding onto your shoulders tightly from behind, stooping to hide behind you - all the attention really isn’t his thing. 

It never has been. 

“It’s okay, buddy, they’re just all excited for you,” you tell him, giving one of his paws a squeeze. He makes an uncomfortable grumbling sound, and you know that even though your dojo family has the best of intentions, he’s not going to relax until the hubbub dies down. 

And then you get an idea. There is one thing that will help him feel more comfortable around everyone, and satisfy the dojo family’s curiosity about your newly-evolved partner. 

“I’m really proud of Urshifu,” you tell your dojo family, still squeezing his paw reassuringly. “He’s trained really hard to get to where he is today. I can’t wait to see some of his new moves!” You smile at him over your shoulder, and Urshifu’s ears flick forward, suddenly interested. 

If there’s one thing he’d never been able to resist, it had been fighting and training and showing off his moves. It’s all in his blood, after all. 

“Yeah, I bet his moves are amazing!” Someone calls. 

“I can’t wait to see them, either!” Another student adds. 

“What do you think, little bear?” You ask him, still smiling fondly over your shoulder. You’d called him little bear when he had been a Kubfu - and though you’re tempted now to change it to big bear, which would be more accurate, in most ways, he’s still proving to be the same little bear you knew. “You think you can show us some of your moves?” 

Urshifu draws himself up to his full height finally and nods. A cheer goes up around the dojo as Urshifu walks into the middle of the floor. He stretches his arms across his body, then touches his toes quickly to limber up, and finally begins to move. The first time you’d met him as a Kubfu, he had hopped out of Mustard’s Pokeball, showing off with some dazzling strikes, rapid punches, and a tremendous kick onto one of the padded posts in the dojo. This time, he’s a little more refined. You both had spent hours of every day learning and practicing various wushu forms over the past few months, and he begins executing one of his favorites now, his movements confident, graceful yet powerful, quick yet strong. 

He’d been pretty tough as a Kubfu, but now, standing close to one of his punches, you realize that he’s downright formidable now. His big fist flies past you, and you feel the swoosh of air from the strike. He glances at you out of the corner of his eye, pausing for just a moment, and you smile and nod encouragingly up at him. His lips twitch upwards just a little, and he turns to continue the form, moving away from you this time. 

Then, just as abruptly, he reverses direction yet again, executing the part of the form that requires a flying kick. The floorboards shudder a little under the force of his steps as he prepares to launch himself - and then, as is customary in the dojo, he leaps into the air and lands the flying kick on one of the big padded posts. 

But when Urshifu’s big paw makes contact with the post, it splits in two with a tremendous crack. 

Urshifu lands near the post, the floorboards again shuddering under his weight, and his paws fly to his face, covering his eyes as he backs away. 

“Urshifu!” You cry, rushing forward to him, your only thought that you had to keep him safe in case anything - the ceiling, the stories above - caved in. He’s peering out of his fingers as he looks for you, and you grab him by one thick-furred forearm, intent on dragging him away from the broken post. 

There’s a general cacophony of confusion and alarm among the students, which isn’t doing much to help Urshifu’s anxiety - he almost seems rooted to the spot. 

“C’mon, buddy,” you insist, tugging on him harder. This seems to get him moving, and he finally runs away, joining the other students by the entrance of the dojo, everyone pushing to get out. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Mustard’s voice is calling from inside. He lets out a hearty laugh, and everyone finally turns around. “The padded posts aren’t loadbearing. If you all think Urshifu is the first one to have broken a post like that, you didn’t see me in my younger years!” He laughs again, and a collective sigh emanates from the group. Urshifu finally relaxes, dropping his other hand, though he hangs his head in shame. 

“Hey, little bear,” you coo to him, running one hand up to his shoulder. The students all move away from the entrance, instead congregating around the split post and taking pictures of it. You’re sure your Pokegram feed will be filled with various images of the thick split wood tonight. 

Urshifu makes a grumbling noise of dissent at the nickname, and you laugh, standing on your tiptoes and looping both your arms around his neck instead. 

“I know you’re not really a little bear anymore,” you murmur to him in response, stroking the fur under your hands. “But you’re always gonna be my little bear, no matter how big or strong you are.” 

Urshifu is silent for a moment, then lets out a deep breath and wraps his arms very gently around you. 

“Thank you for being careful with me,” you tell him. 

“Fu,” he mumbles in response. 

“You’re getting the hang of things. And that kick was brilliant, by the way. You just didn’t have any way to know how strong you really are. But…we better go apologize to Master Mustard,” you add, drawing away from Urshifu. He nods and approaches Mustard first, sinking to his knees and kowtowing, grumbling his apologies. You kowtow by Urshifu’s side, and add your two cents. 

“He’d never do something like that on purpose, Master Mustard,” you explain. “He’s such a good bear. He just has no idea of his strength yet. You know how it can be when a Pokemon evolves.” 

“I do know,” Mustard laughs. “And I accept your apology, Urshifu. It’s a good thing you’re big and strong, now, though! With all your strength, you’ll be the perfect choice to help me replace that post with a new one sometime,” he says, and when you sit up from your kowtow, there’s a sparkle in his eye. Urshifu sits up, too, and nods his willingness to help. “In the meanwhile, we better sweep up some of this mess. Urshifu, why don’t you take your Trainer outside and practice sparring? It’ll be good for you to get a little more energy out, and in the meanwhile, I’d like to talk to the rest of the students about the meaning of strength - including hidden strength.” 

Urshifu nods again, then stands and bows, one hand over his fist. You do the same, and Master Mustard bows back before trailing off to the students, who are now posing with the post. 

“Urshi?” He asks, reaching one big, yellow paw out to you. 

“If Master Mustard thinks it’s a good idea, let’s go,” you affirm, taking his paw and allowing him to guide you through the back doors of the dojo.  


* * *

  


If you said you weren’t a little nervous to be squaring off against Urshifu, you’d be lying. But you’d fought him countless times as a Kubfu - always holding back, neither of you ever hitting at full force, just practicing the movements and how it felt to react and block and duck or strike in real time. You know how valuable the art of sparring is to improving one’s training - and you have to trust Urshifu sooner or later in order to continue to advance your training together. It might as well be sooner, you figure. 

“Ready?” You ask Urshifu. He nods and grunts. “Okay. Take it easy on me,” you remind him with a playful smile. Urshifu nods again. 

“Fuu,” he adds. It’s clear to you what he means - _of course_. 

You start off slow, moving in for Urshifu with a very straightforward open-palm strike. He parries it at half speed, his forearm thick and solid against yours. It feels weird to be fighting him on your own two feet - when he had been only two feet tall, you’d had to fight him on your knees to make it manageable for him. 

Urshifu moves in with the next strike, again moving slowly and carefully, and you duck out of the way and change your position, gearing up for a kick. 

The two of you fall into a slow but steady rhythm of strikes, parries, dodges, and kicks, moving a little more quickly as you each adapt to the other. When you finally sneak through Urshifu’s defenses enough to land a punch on his chin, you hold back, only making the lightest of contact and freezing. He freezes, too, aware that the sparring match was over - you’d landed the first head strike. 

“Nice work,” you tell him fondly, opening your hand and instead giving him a gentle chin rub. He was always ticklish there as a Kubfu, and you’re happy to see he still is, his chin tucking down and his shoulders coming up as he lets out a deep rumbling noise akin to laughter. 

“Urshi, urshi,” he insists, stepping back out of reach of you. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” you relent, laughing almost as much as he is. You make the hand over fist pose and bow to him to conclude the match, and he does the same back to you. “That was a good match. Do you want to try again, just a little faster this time?” 

Urshifu nods eagerly, settling into a deeper stance and raising his hands. 

“Okay, little bear, let’s do this!” You grin, and move in again with the first strike. This time, you allow your movements to be a bit quicker - but still not at full force or speed. Again, you find it easy to fall into a steady pace with Urshifu, the rhythm of your movements almost soothing to follow. Urshifu’s growing increasingly comfortable with himself, striking just a little faster and a little stronger each time. 

And then his big fist clocks you unexpectedly in the chin, whipping your head sideways. You don’t know how you didn’t block it, but you didn’t, and the force is actually enough to send you twisting and reeling to the floor. You land on your hands and knees, a throbbing pain shooting through your jaw and neck and the scraped skin in contact with the ground. For a moment, the world goes fuzzy and dark, and you wonder if you’ve been struck so hard, you’re going to pass out. Tears jump to your eyes, and the world swims for a moment, but you manage not to faint. 

You’re vaguely aware of some low, moaning wails behind you, and the sensation of a gentle touch at your back. The world begins to come into focus again, and as it does, the pain in your jaw sears back again more fiercely than ever. As much as you don’t want to, you let out a quiet sob, immediately settling back on your heels and freeing your hands to wipe away your tears. 

“Uuuurrrr,” Urshifu wails, his paws cradling your shoulders gently. 

“I’m okay,” you sniffle, but Urshifu can see very clearly that you aren’t, and he wails again, distraught. He’d never hurt you before, and you know how much he loves you… “I’m okay, little bear,” you insist, wiping your tears away again and then turning to face him. You wrap your arms around his neck and he immediately gathers you up in his arms, pulling you close to his large body. 

Urshifu wails again - he’s crying, too, you realize, as some of his hot tears roll onto your skin. Ironically, this only makes you cry all the harder, and your tears roll down your face, falling into his thick black fur. 

He stands with you in his arms, holding you carefully, like you’re made of glass, and begins to lumber his way into the dojo. He lets out another wail as he slides the shoji doors open and steps into the building. Though you can’t see because of how you’re positioned, you’re sure he’s attracted quite a lot of attention based on the noises he’s making alone. 

“Oh, dear, oh, dear,” a soft female voice is saying - Honey, you realize. “Give her here, give here here, that’s a good Pokemon,” she croons as Urshifu passes you off to her. Her arms are surprisingly strong as she balances you in her lap. “What happened?” 

She asks Urshifu. He grunts and groans through his sobs, sitting down beside you, cross-legged as he explains. 

“I’m really okay,” you assure Honey, wishing your voice sounded a little more steady. “It was a good hit, but it just took me by surprise more than anything.” 

“Well, at least she’s making sense when she talks,” Honey says, smiling at you and Urshifu. “I’ve seen some students take hits that left them fuzzy for a couple hours!” Your eyes widen at this; you’re sure that can’t be good. You wipe away the last of your tears, realizing that many heads are turned to you, though Mustard is continuing to talk with his students as if nothing has happened, likely intent on keeping them from adding to the spectacle. “Urshifu, could you go get her some ice from the kitchen? That’s a dear,” she encourages him as he stands and rushes off. 

“I feel so bad for him,” you sigh, rubbing the spot on your jaw where his big fist had made contact. “He’s having an awful day, and it’s the day he evolved. It should be a great day for him.” 

“Evolving is so often such a difficult thing,” Honey sighs. “It’s a whole new phase of training, with new challenges and difficulties. But as long as he has you, I’m sure he’ll get through this and figure out how to control his strength in the future.” 

“He will,” you agree. It’s just a matter of time. “He’s going to be amazing in battles when he can really go full blast, though.” 

Urshifu returns, making a small grunt as he tries to hand Honey the ice. But she shakes her head, shifting you off her lap and back to him. 

“Oh, no, no,” she tuts. “I’ll need you to take her back. I have to go get dinner started for everyone, and she’ll appreciate you taking care of her more than anything.” 

Urshifu makes a whining sound, and you smile at him, reaching back out to him. 

“Don’t be silly, of course I will,” you insist. He takes a steadying breath, but finally gives you a tiny nod and sits down, pulling you into his lap. His thigh is thick and well-muscled beneath you, his body warm and soft as he maneuvers you tenderly to rest against his chest. He holds the ice against your jaw carefully, and you smile, pressing your hand over his paw. 

“I can hold that there, if you’d like,” you offer. Urshifu shakes his head, though, grumbling something very quietly. 

As well as you know him, you’re not entirely sure what he’s saying - though you think it’s something along the lines of I did this to you, so please let me take care of you. But you’re not certain, so instead you relax against him, letting him continue to help you as best as he can. 

“Here, this will help,” Honey says, suddenly reappearing. She hands Urshifu what looks like some sort of potion cream, uncapping it for him and spreading some on one of his outstretched fingers. “Just put that over the sore spot, and she’ll feel better quickly. We use this stuff all the time when there’s contact injuries in the dojo.” She moves back to the kitchen, and Urshifu pulls the ice away, gently spreading the cream over the side of your jaw where the ice had been and breathing the quietest little sigh as he goes. 

“It’s really okay, my little bear,” you insist. He holds you just a little tighter, and the pain in your jaw begins to quickly fade away. “I’m feeling better already,” you tell him, but he looks at you with such sad eyes, you almost want to cry again.  


* * *

  


“Dinner’s ready!” Honey calls, and with that, you and Urshifu stand, joining the crowd of students filing into the dining area. Urshifu puts the ice away in the freezer as he moves past it, and you wait for him, the pain in your jaw entirely gone at this point. The potion cream really had worked wonders. 

You move to go take a seat at your usual spot at the table, and Urshifu walks up beside you, one of his hands setting down onto your lap. 

When he had been a Kubfu, he’d always climbed into your lap and had dinner there. Muscle memory must have taken over, and he’d put his big paw on your thighs as if he was going to scoot onto you like old times. 

But it’s clear that he’s much too big for that now. 

“Ur,” he says, snatching his paw away. 

“Here,” you say, standing and grabbing the chair next to you, which is still, mercifully, empty right now. You pull it a little closer to you. “I think it’s safe to say that you get your own seat now, Urshifu.” He nods as he sits, his sheer breadth somehow making the chair look really rather small underneath him, although it’s the same size as yours. 

You wolf down your food, as does everyone else - with Urshifu being no exception as he chows down. But the food goes fast, and he hasn’t even had the chance to get a second bowl before all the servings of the main meal are gone entirely. 

A single bowl would have more than filled him up when he was little. But now he must still be starving. 

Urshifu’s ears flatten against his head, and his shoulders slump just the slightest bit, though he doesn’t complain, just helps gather his and your empty bowls together to be washed. 

“Hey,” you murmur, touching your hand to his forearm. “You must still be hungry.” 

He shrugs, not meeting your gaze. 

“Ordinarily I’d say let’s stay and help everyone wash up, but there’s more than enough hands taking care of that,” you tell him, casting your gaze over to the sink. “Why don’t we grab our camping gear and get out of here? Just you and me. We can cook up some more curry over a campfire. What do you say?” 

Urshifu’s ears slowly drift forward, and he turns to look at you tentatively. Then he nods. 

If there’s one thing that should feel safe - that you think will bring back a sense of normalcy to Urshifu’s day - it’s camping. You two had camped out together most days of the week for the past few months, after all. 

“Great,” you grin, standing up and pushing your chair back. “Last one to grab the camping stuff is a rotten egg!” 

Urshifu stands, too, making a playful noise and chasing after you.  


* * *

  


One unexpected benefit of Urshifu’s size is that he’s more than happy to carry your camping pack. 

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” You ask him. But he shakes his head, making a happy grunt. “Well, thank you, then,” you smile. You’re sure that after everything that’s happened since evolving today, he’s glad to be able to put his newfound size to good use for a change. “In that case, I think we have everything. Let’s go!” You exclaim, punching the air just like he so often did as a Kubfu. 

“Rrrr,” he trills, mimicking you and punching the air, too. Except he doesn’t just hit the air - he’s so tall, his reach so high, that he actually hits the eaves of the dojo, his fist cracking a piece of wood. “Urk,” he grunts, pulling his hand down and looking up at the slight damage he’d caused. 

“Uh,” you stammer for a moment, then grab one of his paws. “We just won’t tell Master Mustard about that. C’mon,” you laugh, tugging Urshifu along. 

The two of you set off at a comfortable pace, though you notice Urshifu is taking smaller steps, controlling his movement. Where you used to have to slow your pace for your little Kubfu, now it’s Urshifu obviously slowing his pace for you. 

“Okay,” you say as you jog, thinking out loud. “How about the plan is to start off by checking in at Brawlers’ Cave to see if more of those Max Mushrooms have grown back? And then, let’s make our way over to Challenge Beach. I’d like to camp by the ocean, if that’s okay.” 

“Ururu,” Urshifu says agreeably. 

“Great,” you grin back at him.  


* * *

  


Brawler’s Cave is, unfortunately, devoid of all Max Mushrooms. 

“These things are turning out to be impossible to find,” you whine, wiping some sweat off your brow. “I need two more of those big clusters? We’ll be looking all week!” 

“Fufu, urshi,” Urshifu grumbles. 

“Hang on, Urshifu, I can’t look yet,” you answer him. “I’m trying to check behind this boulder - was it this one, or the other one? Do you remember?” 

“Urshishi,” Urshifu repeats himself, sounding more stressed. 

“Wait - it’s - nope, not it,” you sigh. 

“Urshifu!” He demands, grabbing your sleeve and pulling you away from the cranny you were reaching into. He spins you around, and what you see makes your heart stop. 

There’s probably nine or ten Golduck, all crawling out of the water on all fours, approaching you slowly, muttering and hissing. 

“Oh, shit,” you curse, grabbing for your belt for a backup Pokemon to help you out. 

But then you remember - you had no backup Pokemon. The whole point of the Tower challenge had been to go in with just Urshifu. And you had been so focused on Urshifu all day, you hadn’t added your usual Pokemon back to your party afterwards. They were probably all still in Postwick, chilling with Hop and eating his mom’s barbecue. 

“It’s just us, Urshifu,” you admit. He makes a whimpering sound, grabbing onto your arm - at the same time that you turn to grab onto him, burying your face in his chest. You just need a moment without the hideous sight of those encroaching Pokemon to think - you can figure out a way out of this, you’re sure of it - even though they’re between you and the exit - 

And then Urshifu’s arm winds around you, giving you a gentle squeeze. Carefully, but still firmly, he pries you away from him. When you open your eyes, you’re surprised to see him stepping in front of you, all his fur on end. It makes him look even more enormous than he really is, and he takes two big steps into a wide squat, moving so heavily the rocks on the floor tremble. 

His arms stretch out wide, his sharp claws exposed, and he throws back his head as he lets out the most tremendous roar you’ve ever heard. It’s so loud, you actually have to cover your ears, and it reverberates throughout the cave, shaking the stalactites on the ceiling. 

Most of the Golduck freeze, suddenly having second thoughts, but one - the one nearest to you - apparently isn’t yet dissuaded, as it rushes Urshifu, its own claws extended. You cower behind your Pokemon, waiting for the rest of them to rush in, too - but the moment never comes. Urshifu grabs the Golduck by its throat as soon as it’s close enough, raising it in the air and letting loose another tremendous roar, somehow even louder than the first. He throws it back in the water, hard, and the Pokemon strikes the surface, where it floats, stunned for a moment, before silently retreating into the depths. 

The other Golduck watch the spot where their apparent leader had disappeared, then turn back to Urshifu, who beats his chest and bellows again, this time more gutturally than before. The Golduck look at each other, than back to Urshifu - and then turn and disappear into the water, too. 

“Oh, Arceus,” you breathe, touching your hand to Urshifu’s back. “That was beyond creepy. Let’s get out of here.” 

Your heart doesn’t start to slow down until you’re out of the cave. 

“Urshifu,” you breathe, sinking down onto a nearby rock. He makes a small coo of worry, kneeling down next to you and putting his paw on your shoulder protectively. “I’m okay,” you smile, though it’s shaky. “Thanks to you. What you did back there - it was incredible.” You reach out to your Pokemon, wrapping your arms around his neck, and he pulls you into his embrace with a happy hum. “Thank goodness you were able to look and sound so big and scary! If you were still little, we would have really been in for it,” you breathe into his fur. Urshifu makes a noise of consideration, then stands up, still holding onto you. Your feet are lifted clear of the ground, and he shifts you in his arms so that you’re being carried princess-style. “Urshifu!” You squeal. “What are you doing?” 

“Urshi,” he answers noncommittally as he begins to walk towards Challenge Beach. 

You’d carried him so many times when he was a Kubfu. To have him carry you now, to be just a little protective of you after defending you so impressively - 

You don’t really mind it at all.  


* * *

  


By the time you’ve got the tent pitched, a campfire going, and more than enough curry for dinner and breakfast tomorrow made, the sun is starting to go down. It’s a beautiful sight on Challenger Beach, painting the ocean in gorgeous pinks and purples. 

“Curry didn’t come out bad,” you hum, taking a bite. 

“Urrr,” Urshifu sighs contentedly. You laugh a little at his response. 

“Guess that’s better than not bad,” you beam. “Take as much as you need. Seconds, thirds, whatever. We have more than enough for today and tomorrow, and I want to make sure that that big belly of yours gets full.” 

Urshifu hums, and takes another bowlful at your encouragement.  


* * *

  


After you put away the camping cookware, you and Urshifu wander the short distance down to the shoreline. You kick off your shoes and step into the ocean, letting the waves lap at your ankles. Urshifu follows you in, standing in just slightly deeper water than you. You give him a soft smile and reach your hand out for his paw. 

“Fu,” he breathes, closing his big fingers around your hand carefully. He’s warm compared to the cool evening air, you notice, as you two start to walk down the shoreline together. 

“What a day it’s been,” you muse out loud. “I hope you know, I am really proud of you for taking on the entire Tower and winning against Master Mustard. You fought brilliantly - it’s something I’ll remember forever.” 

Urshifu mumbles something shyly. 

“I really will, though,” you laugh, then grow serious again. “At the same time, I know today has been really difficult for you. Adapting to an entirely new form is hard enough for any Pokemon, but it’s always really hard for the ones who get so big so quickly, like you. I hope you know, I think you’ve actually done a really good job adjusting.” 

Urshifu grumbles his dissent, mimicking the punch that had knocked you nearly senseless, then shaking his head. 

“That was a one time thing. I know you’re not going to let that happen again, and neither am I,” you protest, giving what little of his paw your hand can wrap around a squeeze. “And besides, you were so kind to me afterwards, and took such good care of me. I could tell you were really upset, too.” 

He nods, turning to you, a deep sadness reflected in his eyes. 

“Listen,” you say, squeezing his paw again. “I know you might feel like being big has been more of a curse than anything today, but I think it’s been a good thing overall. You were able to carry me into the dojo and get me treated, for one. You held me and supported me when I needed your care. You can carry the camping pack now, which was really heavy for me, and you scared off that entire horde of Golduck like it was nothing. You looked so huge and in charge when you did that - you made me feel really safe and protected. And I know you’re gonna keep protecting me, big bear.” 

He starts a little at the new nickname, his expression surprised. 

“You’ll always be my little bear,” you tell him fondly. “But you’re my big bear, now, too, and that’s a great thing in its own way, you know.” 

“Shii,” he says, sounding pensive but agreeable. 

“Plus, you know, now that you’re so big, you give the most amazing, warm hugs,” you add, grinning up at your Pokemon. His ears flick forward, and he pauses in his tracks, the waves lapping at his ankles. You stop just a moment after him and turn back to face him. 

“Urshifu?” He asks, dropping your hand and opening his arms to you. 

“Yes, I definitely want one now,” you laugh, running to the big bear and letting him sweep you up in his arms. He lifts you off the ground again, holding you gently yet firmly, and spins around with you a couple times. You laugh in delight and hold tight to him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that this big sweep-me-off-my-feet hug was something you always wanted to do with me,” you say playfully into his fur. 

“Shi shi,” he says, and there’s no mistaking what he means when he says it. 

_It is._  


* * *

  


After a couple hours stargazing and chatting, you decide to turn in for the night, unzipping your tent. You settle into your sleeping bag without thinking, and Urshifu lingers by the entrance, cocking his head in confusion. 

He usually slept on your chest, huddled up under your chin. You’d typically fall asleep on your back with him, but at some point during the night you’d inevitably turn onto your side. He had always gone along with you, still snuggled up against you on his side, too. 

But snuggling up on your chest isn’t really an option for him anymore. 

“Here, I can move,” you say, scooting to one side to make room for Urshifu’s larger frame. He enters carefully, zipping the tent shut after himself, but to your surprise, he doesn’t lay down next to you. Instead, he gathers you up in his arms, lifting you off the ground. He lays down on his back and places you gently on his chest, tucking you under his chin. 

It’s surprisingly comfortable. He’s much softer and warmer than the ground, and his arms encircle you protectively. 

“Is this comfortable for you?” You ask quietly. He nods. 

“Fu?” He asks in return. 

“I’m very comfortable. If I start to feel heavy at any point, though -” 

He shakes his head with a rumble of dissent, and you smile up at him. 

“Well…thank you.” His breathing is deep and steady and slow, and as you set your head back down on his chest, it immediately begins to soothe you to sleep. It’s been a long day, and you’re tired. But before you go to sleep, one last thought strikes you. 

“Urshifu?” You ask him. 

“Hm?” He rumbles. 

“You know that no matter what shape or size you come in, no matter what difficulties you face, and no matter what we have to learn together in our training, I’ll always love you, right?” 

Urshifu’s arms squeeze tightly around you, and he sits up a little, burying his muzzle in your hair. He stays there for a long moment, and you hold him tightly, noticing that his breathing is becoming a little deeper and more erratic. For a moment, you wonder what’s wrong - and then a teardrop lands in your hair, and you realize he’s crying quietly. 

It must feel like a lot for a Pokemon, to have their body completely change into something entirely different in a matter of moments during evolution - especially when they suddenly became many times their original size. If anything like that happened to you, you’re sure it would be an enormous challenge to your self-identity, possibly even your self-worth. And, of course, you’d heard horror stories of Trainers who discarded their Pokemon entirely after evolving, often for no longer being small or cute or easy to manage. You’re sure Urshifu has heard these stories at some point, too - as upsetting as they are, they’re not terribly uncommon - and he must have been so afraid of losing your love, especially after hurting you. 

But you can’t imagine ever not loving any of your Partner Pokemon, Urshifu included. 

“I mean it, Urshifu,” you murmur to him. “I’ll always be proud of you, and I’ll always love you.” 

Urshifu mumbles a few noises through his tears, holding you just a little more firmly. Even as muffled as it is, you know what he’s saying, and you know his words are something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. 

After all, with everything you’ve been through - from a nervous introduction and months of vigorous training to tackling the Tower and managing the changes evolution has brought - you’re unable to put into words how happy it makes you to hear Urshifu say he’ll always love you, too. 

“I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am to hear that. Now, shhh, big bear,” you soothe him, wiping his tears away and kissing his cheek. You press against his chest, pushing him back down onto your pillow gently, then reach up and wipe away the new pools of tears in his eyes that threaten to spill over. “Let’s get some rest, okay?” You murmur to him, giving him a gentle smile. “It’s been a big day, but there’s no need to cry. We’ll always have each other, okay? Go to sleep, big bear,” you murmur, and he hums quietly, closing his eyes. 

“Tomorrow will be a new day,” you tell him, closing your eyes, too. “And we’ll have new adventures then.” 

Urshifu lets out a content hum. 

“And we’ll have new adventures every day we’re together after tomorrow, too, for as long as we’re both alive,” you promise him, drifting off to sleep, safe and protected and warm.


End file.
